[static14]

I’m wondering if I should just get the cheapest AT MC cart they have ($250-ish) and see if I even like the MC vibe.

If you’re gonna go MC go with the cart in their OC9 line that fits your budget. I think the XML or OC9 II would make you happy.

[havershaw]

Yeah the XML is the one I’ve zeroed in on, if I’m getting an MC at all.
He can get the MM. I’ll just have to wait because he’d have to order it.
Man, opinions really seem to be all over the place in terms of MM vs MC, as far as I’ve seen on the Internet.

[static14]

I prefer LOMC, but that’s just me.

[havershaw]

I am currently torn between the VM750ML (or VM740SH) and the OC9XML (or the next one up with the Shibata stylus - OC9XSH).

[inksb]

I did it. I pulled the trigger on MP-200. I had some cash in my wallet from doing side work this past weekend and just blew it. Can't wait to get this in a month or so.

[havershaw]

@inks, I am somewhat wishing I had done the same.

I got this but I have to say: I know it hasn’t broken in yet, and I know these are just super accurate but so far I feel like all of my records sound kinda boring. At the very least, there was no “WOW WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT” vibe like I was hoping for.
I’ll give it another few days to break in though.

FC97408C-C2E7-41FA-A20F-0325D4D8FA32.jpeg (323.12 KiB) Viewed 2191 times

[Mateo Sanboval]

Nice!

[inksb]

@inks, I am somewhat wishing I had done the same.

I got this but I have to say: I know it hasn’t broken in yet, and I know these are just super accurate but so far I feel like all of my records sound kinda boring. At the very least, there was no “WOW WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT” vibe like I was hoping for.
I’ll give it another few days to break in though.

Looks nice but the fact that you got no "wow factor" out of it stings a little. Not sure if it's something that interests you or is even feasible but the seller I bought it from has 7 more available at the $360 price point for 12 more hours, after that it's back up to $390. Might be worth picking up and trying out?

I honestly can't believe I just spent that much on a cart. I remember just a few years ago getting all bent out of shape about spending 100 on the one I have and laughing to myself when Mateo suggested I eventually upgrade from Red to Blue. But here I am, no wiser, with way more records to listen to and apparently $400 to blow.

[static14]

Nice @Ink! I don’t think you’ll be sorry.

@havershaw what gain and loading Options did you select on the phono preamp?

[Mateo Sanboval]

Whatever happened to that Ask Static thread? We might have to dig that out of long-term storage.

[havershaw]

Nice @Ink! I don’t think you’ll be sorry.

@havershaw what gain and loading Options did you select on the phono preamp?

Gain is 60 dB, loading is 100 ohms.

Another issue I have is that with the gain set where it is, the preamp is putting out what sounds like white noise. It’s not super loud, but I can hear it if I turn it up a reasonable amount. I feel like I can’t really do archival rips of any of the Capitol Hi-Q library stuff as I’d planned with that kind of noise floor.

[static14]

Try loading it at 500 and see if you like the sound any better.

As for noise? Well some Phono preamps have more noise than others when the gain is turned up.

[havershaw]

Try loading it at 500 and see if you like the sound any better.

As for noise? Well some Phono preamps have more noise than others when the gain is turned up.

Thanks for the tip, @static! It sounds noticeably more open at 500. I tried everything between 100 and 47000 to see what felt good for this cartridge - I liked different things about each setting, so as the cart breaks in, I may keep shifting around the loading. But this made a huge difference.

Still not 100% convinced I can live with the noise for my archival rips, but for now it’s made it a lot more fun to listen to, for sure.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Try loading it at 500 and see if you like the sound any better.

As for noise? Well some Phono preamps have more noise than others when the gain is turned up.

Thanks for the tip, @static! It sounds noticeably more open at 500. I tried everything between 100 and 47000 to see what felt good for this cartridge - I liked different things about each setting, so as the cart breaks in, I may keep shifting around the loading. But this made a huge difference.

Still not 100% convinced I can live with the noise for my archival rips, but for now it’s made it a lot more fun to listen to, for sure.

Which preamp do you have again?

[havershaw]

MoFi StudioPhono.

[static14]

The reviews I read for that phono stage when it first came out almost all mentioned that it was noisy with higher gain settings.

[havershaw]

The reviews I read for that phono stage when it first came out almost all mentioned that it was noisy with higher gain settings.

I did read a lot of reviews before I bought it, but I don’t recall that - probably glossed over it since I didn’t think I’d ever be using a MC. oh well.
I love the preamp in general, and I don’t really hear that noise when listening to records at normal volumes.

I’m enjoying the cartridge much, much more since fiddling with the loading. Thanks again for the suggestion. I feel much less freaked out about having spent that amount of money only to feel “eh” about it.

[static14]

:)

[inksb]

Here's an interesting change in my set up. My cat loves to chew plastic, in particular tape, he's a weirdo and we usually have to keep plastic away from him. Over the last few years he's occasionally taken it upon himself to chew on the corner of record sleeves, usually it's just the loose plastic and that's it. I never really cared. But over the last year I've noticed he's started to get a little more aggressive when he chews them. With the recent reorganization and moving of all record storage into the living room it's gotten worse. He's began to ruin a lot of record jackets. So I decided to try something new, I bought 12x12 acrylic squares, put some hinges on them and attached them with heavy duty 3m double sided adhesive. We'll see how this goes, I really don't want to go back to boxes that slide into the shelves but I may have to if he figures these out.

[static14]

cat proofing!

[tim28212]

Here's an interesting change in my set up. My cat loves to chew plastic, in particular tape, he's a weirdo and we usually have to keep plastic away from him. Over the last few years he's occasionally taken it upon himself to chew on the corner of record sleeves, usually it's just the loose plastic and that's it. I never really cared. But over the last year I've noticed he's started to get a little more aggressive when he chews them. With the recent reorganization and moving of all record storage into the living room it's gotten worse. He's began to ruin a lot of record jackets. So I decided to try something new, I bought 12x12 acrylic squares, put some hinges on them and attached them with heavy duty 3m double sided adhesive. We'll see how this goes, I really don't want to go back to boxes that slide into the shelves but I may have to if he figures these out.

A cat helped me get Madonna's Bedtime Stories promo on pink vinyl at a very reasonable price. Bites on the sleeve but the vinyl was mint. :)

[CrossedPete]

This is a great idea @inks. I never knew my kitty used to do the same to me until I moved maybe not as severe as you but nonetheless I wish I would of thought of this. Sadly my cat has passed (probably all the plastic in his tummy) so I don’t have this issue anymore

[havershaw]

My cats will also do this, which is why I can’t leave them in my office unattended (and why I can’t keep records anywhere in my house except my office).

This is a great solution.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Here's an interesting change in my set up. My cat loves to chew plastic, in particular tape, he's a weirdo and we usually have to keep plastic away from him. Over the last few years he's occasionally taken it upon himself to chew on the corner of record sleeves, usually it's just the loose plastic and that's it. I never really cared. But over the last year I've noticed he's started to get a little more aggressive when he chews them. With the recent reorganization and moving of all record storage into the living room it's gotten worse. He's began to ruin a lot of record jackets. So I decided to try something new, I bought 12x12 acrylic squares, put some hinges on them and attached them with heavy duty 3m double sided adhesive. We'll see how this goes, I really don't want to go back to boxes that slide into the shelves but I may have to if he figures these out.

A cat helped me get Madonna's Bedtime Stories promo on pink vinyl at a very reasonable price. Bites on the sleeve but the vinyl was mint. :)

In every cloud, a pink lining.

[ScoJo]

This shows how different my life is in the 21st C... back when I was a young, married, home-owning man, our albino cat Lydia would scratch her claws down the spines of my ground-level records. They were pretty much shredded, and I don't recall being especially bothered about it - I just happily played my tunes, smoked my jang, lived and loved. Somewhere down the road, pretty much that entire chapter of my LP-life got turned over to 2nd hand stores for various bits of coin, the marriage blew out, I littlest hobo'd my way down along the road to another town... and Lydia kept going, strong and proud, terrorizing some other dudes wordly goods. She was a fiercesome lady - I did name her after Lydia Lunch, mind you. RIP.

As for me, I rinse-repeated my record collection/lifestyle/locale another bunch of times before arriving where I'm at now: catless in Gaza, surrounded by pristine LP sleeves with intact spines- some of them at ground level.

We've been thinking about a dog quite a bit recently.